Ikea 'spied' on angry customers: report

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Shortly after allegations that it had been snooping on its staff, Swedish furniture giant Ikea in France is in hot water again, this time accused of spying on dissatisfied customers, prompting a police search at the company's French headquarters.

"No company has ever treated us so badly," wrote a woman known as Hanna F. in a letter of complaint to Ikea, French website Mediapart reveals. Hanna had bought a kitchen and beds for her country house at an Ikea store in Evry, in the outskirts of Paris.

Ikea delivered the items two months after the agreed date, meaning Hanna and her family had to stay in a bed and breakfast near their home in the French department of Finistère.

Hanna wrote a letter of complaint to Ikea asking for a refund of the extra cost. But what Hanna did not suspect was that the company then allegedly started an investigation into her background.

According to Mediapart, Ikea contacted a private detective to find out details about the dissatisfied customer.

Ikea allegedly investigated another client known as Jérôme P., a real estate agent, who complained about a faulty wardrobe he had bought.

On Friday, French police searched the headquarters of the company in France and the home of the employee responsible for Ikea's risk management policy, following allegations of illegal surveillance.

Employees working for Ikea have previously filed a complaint against the company for allegedly spying on employees.

The management of the company in France said it was taking the accusations "very seriously".

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"The respect of privacy is amongst the most strongly held values of the group and we strongly disapprove of any actions which call that into question," the company said in a statement.